22nd September 2013.

Dear All,

Back to cool and damp UK this week – missing the sun drenched Baltic (words you seldom hear!). The garden as usual has been very productive at this time of year so we picked 40 sweet corn cobs and a crate full of tomatoes on Monday, enough to feed Messy church yesterday.

I have had a couple of decent journeys this week: on Tuesday I travelled to Preston, near Hull for an RHS chilli pepper trial and tomato demonstration. A couple of chilli breeders were present and their target is to produce chillis with more flavour rather than heat as heat masks the array of flavours available. The man who hosted the trial is also responsible for the most blight resistant tomatoes available at present.

Chillis

Tomato range

On Friday we travelled down to Cranleigh near Guilford for cousin Roger Jessup’s memorial service. As usual with any M25 journey it took longer than planned so we arrived with 1 minute to spare. It was a very moving service with all his children taking part but not too sad as his funeral had taken place in France the previous week. It was good to catch up with other cousins and some of their offspring including Peter Jessup who we last saw at Dad’s funeral.

Our Thursday walk started at Therfield near Royston and took in a few ploughed fields as you expect this time of year. It was gloomy overhead but did not rain until the last 30 mins.

We called in at Hutton on the way back from Cranleigh and met up with Esther, Mary-Ann and Amélie who were staying for the weekend.

It was Messy church again yesterday and the numbers kept up. Kate was in charge of food with which she copes brilliantly seeing as how you never know how many will turn up.

 Messy church

Love

Mike & Kate